Here and Now
by AtLoLevad
Summary: Their tomorrows don't extend forever anymore. They have to learn how to live for today.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone :D I hope you're all recovered from Thanksgiving. I know I'm looking forward to all the leftovers today :) So I have a post Thanksgiving offering for all of you! A new DE story. I have a bit of it planned out, but I'm still open to ideas. The premise is post cure, and out favorite Mystic Falls vamps have to learn how to live like humans again. I hope you all enjoy it and leave me lots of love. I'm really thankful that I have such great readers and followers. Thank you all :)**

* * *

Elena Gilbert yawned widely and sat up in bed, stretching her arms over her head. She squeaked and curled up as her boyfriend poked her in the side.

"Damon!" She admonished, "That was so not nice." Elena gave a mock scowl. Damon laughed, feeling lighter than he had in years.

"Aw, Elena, I'm not known for being nice." He smirked and pulled her down, planting a kiss on her shoulder. Elena hummed in pleasure.

"You're plenty nice to me." She smiled and pulled her hair away from her eyes.

Damon's lips were working their way up her neck, landing just below her ear.

"I've waited 150 years to find you, I won't let a little snark push you away." His breath was hot on Elena's neck and she shivered.

"Mmm, I can't believe everything that's happened. It almost doesn't seem real." She spoke, almost to herself and Damon pulled away, propping her head on his hand.

"I never, in 150 years, imagined that my life would end up like this. How does a guy go from being a vampire for a 150 years, living his life the way a vampire would, to a human again?" Damon's brow wrinkled as he thought a bout the path his life had taken.

"I don't know. I should've celebrated my 20th birthday last month. Instead I'm still 18. Where do we go from here?" Elena tucked her head under Damon's chin, listening to the sound of his heartbeat. A thrill shot through her as she listened, Damon's heart was beating! To the same rhythm her own heart was!

Damon sighed; his body was so much weaker than he was used to. He was last human in 1864; he'd seen and done, so many things since then. How would he learn to live as a human again? He kissed the top of Elena's head, loving that he was free to do so.

"We'll do it together, I'm never leaving you Elena Gilbert. You're mine forever." He breathed, knowing she'd hear him.

"Good, because I want to be yours forever. I want a love that consumes me." She smiled against Damon's chest, recalling his words from so long ago. It felt like a lifetime since she had first met that mysterious stranger, and in a way, it had been.

* * *

After a morning romp and a shower that took twice as long as it should have, Damon and Elena made their way into town. The October day was warm and there were a lot of people walking around. Damon held onto Elena's hand tightly, rubbing it with his thumb. She looked down at their entwined fingers and smiled. After the tumultuous two years they had just had, she was excited that they could finally be public with their relationship.

"This is nice." Elena said, ducking underneath their interlock fingers and letting Damon's arm rest across her shoulders.

"Yeah it is, but what do we do now? There aren't any hunters we have to plot against; Klaus is gone. I'm bored." Damon was looking around for anything that he could get involved in. Elena broke away from him. She faced him and planted her hands on her hips.

"You're bored? We'd better find you something productive to do, you're going to live for another few decades." Elena laughed lightly, as this realization dawned on her boyfriend.

"I'm going to have nothing to do with my life anymore. What kind of horrible mistake have I made?" Damon's eye widened and he began twisting the sun-walking ring that he still wore. Elena looked away from him, his words ringing in her ears.

"You really think this was a mistake? I thought you wanted to be human again more than anything?" Damon's head turned towards Elena as she spoke. Before she had finished talking, he was already shaking his head.

"This wasn't a mistake Elena, we deserve these lives. I just don't know what to do. I'm lost all over again." Damon sunk to the grass and leaned against a tree trunk. Elena squatted in front of him. She rested a hand on his knee.

"Damon, I'm going to help you, I promise. You'll make this transition and we'll be better for it." She smiled gently, "Okay?"

Damon looked up into her eyes and nodded, "Okay, now, can I go get a drink?" He stood up and grabbed Elena's hands to pull her to her feet.

Elena laughed, "No, it's only 11 o'clock. And humans get hung over. Let's keep the drinking to a minimum."

"No drinking, your stamina is diminished, I can't kill things. What's the big perk to being human again?" Damon grumbled as Elena dragged him back to her house.

"Me." Elena smiled at him over her shoulder.

"Okay, I'll take it." Damon smiled and wrapped his arms around Elena's waist, pulling her into a hug.

* * *

They walked into the Gilbert house hand in hand. Elena paused at the foot of the steps.

"Damon, I can't do this. I…I don't want to be here anymore." Elena had been to her house only once in the two weeks since they had found and used the cure. Damon could understand why she was so hesitant to be here. This was the house that had seen all of the horrors of the past two years. Jeremy had 'died' countless times in here, several of them at Damon and Elena's own hands.

"Okay, we'll get all of your stuff and move you into the boarding house. Jeremy can come too if her wants, there's plenty of room."

Before Elena could answer, Jeremy came down the steps, backpack slung over his shoulder. He stopped on the bottom step and grinned at his sister.

"Hey Elena, I didn't know you were coming over. What's up?" Jeremy said as he accepted the tight hug Elena pulled him into.

"I just came by to pick up some stuff. Jer, how can you stay in this house? After everything that's happened, don't you want to run far away from here?" Elena sighed as she let go of him.

Jeremy raised an eyebrow at his sister. "Running away from here isn't going to change what happened. I'm choosing to accept it. Um, is there anything else? Because I'm going to be late for class."

Elena shook her head, but there was so much more she wanted to talk to Jeremy about. Instead she gave him a kiss on the cheek and smiled as he waved goodbye to Damon before running out to his car.

As soon as the car was out of sight, Damon turned to Elena.

"What was that about? I thought you were going to talk to him?" Instead of answering, Elena took a deep breath and began up the stairs. Damon trailed her, asking her what she was doing.

"Did you see him Damon? He was smiling. He wanted to get to school. Damon, I don't know how he did it, but he's finally happy. I don't want to uproot him from this house if he's happy here." She leaned against the wall as Damon finished climbing the stairs.

"Then he'll stay. You don't have to though. You can stop being strong for him. Jeremy is 18 years old and he's proven that he's more than capable to care for himself. You'll be a 5-minute drive away if he needs anything. If you're going to be miserable here then it'll rub off on him and that's not what you want." Damon grabbed hold of Elena's hand, "Come home with me. The boarding house needs you. I need you." He dropped a light kiss to her cheek and Elena smiled.

"I just want him to be okay. I just want us all to be okay." She wrapped her arms around Damon's waist and buried her face in his chest. Damon stroked her hair.

"We will be okay. It's just not up to you to make sacrifices anymore. We're all in on this now, no going back."


	2. Chapter 2

Packing up her room had proven to be a difficult experience for Elena. Damon had watched her slowly lose control over her emotions and finally suggested they leave and come back a different time. Elena had tearfully sniffled a yes and allowed Damon to guide her out of the house. Damon spent the long walk back to the boarding house trying to cheer up his girlfriend.

'What about a dinner party? You and I can cook and everyone can come over.' Damon suggested as they climbed the steps to the porch.

Elena gave a tiny smile, she loved watching Damon cook and he knew it. 'That sounds like fun. I'll text Caroline, Bonnie, Jer and Matt. Care will bring Tyler and Jer can bring April and…' Her voice trailed off before she could say Stefan's name. Damon knew where she was going and nodded,

'I'll call Stefan to let him know. I guess now's as good a time as any to fix out relationship.' He unlocked the door and stepped aside to let Elena go through the door first.

'You know, we should put in an alarm system. Now that our old security system is gone.' She mused before walking into the kitchen. Damon quietly agreed with her, hating that he had to rely on something so _human_ for protection

* * *

'Okay, Care and Bonnie said they'd be over by 6:30. Jer is probably still in class and didn't answer me and Matt said he'd be over with the girls and he'd bring some beers. I told them that was great.' Elena called out as she walked from the living room to the kitchen. She dropped her phone onto the counter and lifted herself up to sit on the marble. 'I am so glad you decided to redo the kitchen. It was so ugly." Elena laughed as she looked around. Damon looked up from the marinade he was concocting for the steaks.

'Yeah, Zach was not a man of style or a believer in change for that matter. I think the kitchen was original from the 1800s.' He chuckled, shaking his head. Elena hopped down from the counter and came up behind Damon.

'So what do you want me to do?' She asked pressing her nose into his Henley covered back.

Damon pointed an oily hand, 'Go peel potatoes.' He spun to give Elena a quick kiss on the lips, but stopped when he saw her face. 'What? What's so funny?'

Elena giggled, 'You sounded like my mom.'

Damon's mouth dropped open, 'Your mom?'

Elena nodded before squealing and running off as Damon chased her around the island, 'I'll show you how unlike your mom I am.'

Elena shrieked as he caught her with oily, spice and meat juice covered hands. 'Oh Damon, This was my favorite top.' She yelped as her tickled her and pinched her sides.

'If I ruined it, then take it off.' Damon smirked, self-satisfied. Elena spun in his grip and wiggled her way out of his hands.

'Nuh-uh Salvatore. Maybe later.' She winked before running upstairs to change. Damon shook his head.

'What a tease. She's been hanging out with me for too long.' He grumbled before heading back to the counter.

* * *

Elena returned twenty minutes later, an old t-shirt of Damon's on over her leggings.

'Now really, what do you want my help with? Still want me to peel potatoes?' She questioned, stopping in front of the drawer she knew held the potato peeler.

Damon nodded, 'Yeah, I figure we'll go all out American tonight. Steak, mashed potatoes, salad. Sound good?'

'Mhmm,' Elena hummed as she checked her phone, 'Jer's coming and he's bringing April. Did you, um, call Stefan?'

Damon didn't turn around; instead he focused intensely on the bowl of marinade in front of him, pouring a little more olive oil into the mix. 'Yeah, he bitched me out and hung up on me. So he's a no. Dick.' The last word was muttered under his breath, but Elena caught it.

'He'll come around. Stefan's always wanted to do what he wants when he wants it.' Elena tried to soothe Damon, but she knew Stefan was being like this on purpose. Stefan had honestly though that the sire bond between Elena and Damon would've been the last straw for Damon and he could've won Elena back. Things hadn't gone according to Stefan's plan. The bond, instead of tearing them apart, had only brought Damon and Elena closer together. He had gone off the edge again, releasing the Ripper, only getting himself under control 6 weeks before the cure was found and used. They'd only been human again for a few weeks, so everything was still fresh in their minds. Elena sighed sadly as she thought about how much she wanted the Salvatore brothers to have a good relationship. Damon calling her name brought her out of her thoughts.

'Elena? Elena? Earth to Elena.' He was waving his hand in front of her face and looked concerned.

She shook her head, 'I'm sorry Damon, just lost in my thoughts.' She picked up the peeler and got to work. Damon looked skeptical, but finished covering the steaks without comment. He slid the tray into the fridge when he was done. As he finished cleaning up the spilt juice and oil from the counter, Elena finished up with the potatoes. Damon joined her to cut them up and put them in a pot.

'While those soften a bit, I'm going to clean up inside.' Elena nodded as Damon grabbed some class and furniture cleaner.

'What do you want for dessert? I think we have the ingredients for apple pie.' Elena was rummaging through the cabinets.

'Sounds good to me.' He dropped a kiss to the top of Elena's head and playfully pinched her side.

* * *

As soon as she had finished the pie and put it in the oven, Elena joined her boyfriend in the living room. She watched him as he vacuumed, admiring the way his dark jeans hugged his behind.

'I may not have vampire hearing anymore, but I can feel you staring at me.' He said as he turned off the vacuum, 'Enjoy the view?'

Elena flopped onto the couch dramatically, 'It'll have to do, I suppose.'

Damon dropped onto the couch next to her, opening his arms so she could lean into his embrace.

'What's on your mind 'Lena? I'm not a mind reader.' Damon waited for Elena to answer, knowing that she liked to get her thoughts in order before admitting something.

'Today has been a wild range of emotions. And cooking with you has been so much fun, but Damon, it's only 1 o'clock. I don't understand how you found things to do for 150 years. I feel like my time is wasted by me sitting here. I'm back on limited time and I'm not sure what to do.' She wrapped his arms tighter around her body and traced her finger over the 'Amor Vincit Omnia' tattoo on his inner left forearm.

'Love Conquers All.' Well that had certainly proven true for them. From their first real meeting to him snapping Jeremy's neck. From Denver to her reconciliation with Stefan. From the sire bond to his temporary death. Elena thought that their relationship had seen more than enough drama and turmoil. Despite her fears that they would get board with human life, Elena couldn't help but desperately crave the normalcy of a human life with Damon.

'Elena, this is what you would've been doing anyway. You're 20 years old; the world is in front of you. And me. We can do anything we want with this time. Live normally. Grow old. _This is more of an adventure than being a vampire. _And I'm glad I'm doing it with you.' Damon dropped his face into Elena's hair and pulled her close. Elena didn't say anything; instead she listened to the soft thumping of Damon's heart.

'Thank you Damon. I love you, you know that, right?'

'I know. I love you. Now as much as I love sitting here with you, I smell pie.' He laughed as Elena jumped up and ran into the kitchen.

* * *

At 6:00 Damon took the steaks out to begin cooking them.

'Hey Elena! Can you make a salad?' Damon called as he shut the refrigerator door with his hip. Elena began getting the salad ingredients from the fridge, laying everything out on the counter. She stood at the counter by the window so she could chop and talk to Damon at the same time.

As Damon was telling her about some council business, Elena yelped.

'Oh, ow, ow, ow! Ahh!' She began bouncing around on the balls of her feet.

'Elena what happened? Elena?' Damon called in through the window before deciding to come into the kitchen.

'I cut my finger.' She held up the bloody index finger, and Damon's shoulders sagged in relief.

'Oh that'll heal in a minute.' He chuckled and went back to the grill. Elena would have laughed if her finger hadn't been throbbing.

'Ah, Damon…' she started before he ran back in.

'Shit Elena! What are we waiting for? Let's go to the hospital.' Damon grabbed her non-bloody wrist and dragged her out to the car.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Elena's finger was stitched up and she and Damon were on the way home.

'This could take some getting used to.' Damon quipped, 'How're you feeling?'

Elena sighed tiredly, 'Okay, my finger is still numb, so no pain, yet.'

They pulled up to the boarding house to find four extra cars in the driveway.

'Oh! We forgot about everyone coming! The steaks are probably burned to a crisp.' Elena gasped. Damon unbuckled himself and climbed out of the car.

'They'll understand. Come on, we'll order in.' He grabbed Elena's good hand and led her to the door. Once they opened it, Jeremy enveloped Elena in a huge hug.

'Thank God. We thought something bad had happened.' Jeremy said as Elena tightened her grip on him .As Jeremy pulled away, Matt grabbed her in a hug.

'Don't do that to us.' He whispered in her ear.

'Guys, I'm okay.' She looked at Damon. 'We're okay. Dinner's ruined though.'

Caroline laughed, ' Elena we saw a bloody knife in the kitchen. Dinner is not our main concern.'

* * *

They ordered pizza. It turned out okay, since the meal was lower maintenance than steak, Elena and Damon decided to have everyone eat in the living room, huddled together on the couches. As they finished, Elena stood up.

'I have an announcement.' She smiled at Damon, who thought he might have an idea where this was going.

Caroline caught the look and gasped, 'Oh my God! You're not pregnant, are you?'

Elena scowled, 'No, and drop the tone. Would it be so bad if I were?

Caroline looked down sheepishly, 'No, I was just… um…continue.'

'Good, as I was saying, I decided that I'm going to write a book.' Elena announced.

'Really? What about?' Jeremy asked.

Elena took a seat in Damon's lap and smiled, ' Us. It'll be about us. This whole journey. Everything we've been through. I'll need all of your help.'

'That's a great idea Elena. I'm in.' Matt grinned at her. Tyler nodded his approval, as did Bonnie. Jeremy was hesitant in giving his agreement, but ultimately smiled and gave his sister a hug.

'I'm okay with it as long as I'm portrayed in a good light.' Caroline smiled, but there was a level of fear behind her blue eyes, scared of how her actions would be shown.

Elena smiled, 'Well, I'm going to try and make it as true to the actions as possible. What do you think Damon? You've been kind of quiet.'

Damon raised an eyebrow, 'You know I'm proud of you no matter what. I'm behind you 100% Elena.'

* * *

**A/N: I am so sorry for the obscenely long wait. Unforgivable of me. I hope you like this chapter and hopefully, the next chapter won't be coming after such a long wait. **


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